Things to do

In the city that never sleeps, you are guaranteed to find something to do at any time of any day!

 

Museums

  • Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • American Museum of Natural History
  • Museum of Modern Art
  • 9/11 Memorial and Museum
  • Museum of Jewish Heritage
  • Ellis Island Museum
  • MoMA PS1
  • Guggenheim Museum
  • Studio Museum in Harlem
  • Whitney Museum of American Art
  • Noguchi Museum
  • Cloisters Museum & Gardens
  • Brooklyn Museum
  • Museum of Sex
  • Brooklyn's Children Museum
  • Lower East Side Tenement Museum
  • Museum at FIT
  • New York Historical Society
  • Hispanic Society of America Museum and Library
  • Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
  • New York Transit Museum
  • Frick Collection

*Some museums offer free or discounted entry on certain days, so definitely look it up before you go!

Landmarks

  • Empire State Building:  Make sure to visit the observation deck for a killer view!
  • Brooklyn Bridge:  Take a walk from one borough to the other and take in the views of Manhattan and Brooklyn
  • Ellis Island & Statue of Liberty
  • Rockefeller Center:  Be sure to check out the Christmas tree in the winter and go ice skating in the plaza
  • City Hall
  • One World Trade Center
  • Times Square:  Stand in the middle of this bustling city center and take in the energy, lights, and sights
  • Flatiron Building
  • Radio City Music Hall:  Great entertainment venue and home to the Rockettes in the winter
  • Chrysler Builder
  • Grand Central Terminal & Grand Central Station
  • New York Public Library
  • Apollo Theatre
  • New York Stock Exchange & Federal Reserve Bank
  • Seagram Building
  • Coney Island
  • United Nations
  • Lincoln Center

Parks and Nature

  • Central Park:  The park of all parks! You could easily spend an entire day here and forget the city.
  • High Line:  From Chelsea to Meatpacking District, this beautifully converted train track is now an urban park that allows visitors to walk through and enjoy views of the city and Hudson River.
  • Bronx Zoo:  The largest metropolitan zoo in the US and home to more than 4,000 animals
  • Hudson River Park:  A great, more quiet park in the Upper West Side to hang around
  • Brooklyn Botanic Garden
  • Brooklyn Bridge Park
  • New York Aquarium
  • Battery Park
  • Bryant Park:  Surrounded by skyscrapers and iconic landmarks, it is a great place to hang out or grab a bite to eat
  • East River State Park
  • Governors Island:  Open to the public from May to October
  • Hudson River Park:  Just 5 miles up from Battery Park and boasting views of the Hudson and New Jersey
  • New York Botanical Garden
  • Washington Square Park
  • Union Square Park and Greenmarket

Sports

  • Yankee Stadium:  Home to the New York Yankees
  • MetLife Stadium:  Home to the New York Giants and the New York Jets
  • Madison Square Garden:  Home to the New York Knicks and New York Rangers
  • Citi Field:  Home to the New York Mets
  • Barclays Center:  Home to the Brooklyn Nets and New York Islanders

Entertainment

  • Concerts:  From live music in Central Park to A-list celebrities selling out Madison Square Garden, there are places all over the city to appreciate music--free and high-end! Check out Jazz at the many jazz bars around the city or at the Lincoln Center.  Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, and the Apollo Theatre are two other iconic venues for shows. SummerStage is one of the most popular concerts that takes place in Central Park.
  • Broadway:  There really is no explanation needed. Just go see a show--whether it is Broadway or Off-Broadway, you won't be disappointed
  • Shakespeare in the Park:  Free theatre in Central Park during the summer
  • TV Tapings:  Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Kelly & Michael, and so many more TV shows film in New York. Try to grab tickets to a taping if you can (most are free)!
  • Holiday Celebrations:  NYC does holidays in a big way. Thanksgiving Day Parade, New Year's Eve in Times Square, July Fourth Fireworks, The Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center, Chinese New Year Festival, St. Patrick's Day Parade... The list goes on and on.
  • Fashion Week:  Takes place twice a year and is a great time to see some of the trendiest inhabitants flood the streets while running from show to show.
  • Restaurant Week:  Also happening twice per year, it is a wonderful chance to try some of NY's most expensive restaurants for really affordable prices (sometimes $20-40 for a full course meal!)
  • Parades:  NYC has a number of popular parades through the year in addition to the holiday celebrations.  Check out Pride Parade, Puerto Rican Day Parade, Mermaid Parade, and so many more!
  • Film:  There are dozens and dozens of theaters all over the city to catch a movie.  The TriBeCa Film Festival is a key film event that happens every spring.  New York Film Festival also happens each September in Lincoln Center.
  • Comedy:  There are comedy clubs all over the city to catch a great comedy set
  • Opera and Ballet
  • Walk the High Line
  • See Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty
  • Explore Brooklyn for the day
  • Pick a neighborhood you like and get lost in it
  • Take in the architectural sites
  • Visit a great rooftop bar
  • Have brunch on the weekends
  • Speakeasies:  NYC is loaded with unique speakeasies all over the city such as PDT or Employees Only. Find one and enjoy the signature cocktails
  • Take a cruise or helicopter around Manhattan
  • Take a walking tour:  Sex and the City, Mobsters, Gossip Girl, Superhero, Shopping... You name it, NYC has a walking tour for it
  • Rent a Citi Bike and cruise around the city
  • Explore Chinatown, Little Italy, SoHo, or Greenwich Village
  • Nightlife:  Just about every neighborhood (with very few exceptions) has something to do at night. Most people tend to flock downtown (Lower East Side, Meatpacking District, SoHo, East Village, West Village, and Chelsea) for fun places to go out.  You are guaranteed to find anything that you want in terms of nightlife in this city, whether that's a sports bar or burlesque club.

Shopping

  • Chelsea Market:  Stroll through to find dozens of restaurants and shops
  • Gansevoort Market:  Mostly food stands, but amazing and unique atmosphere nonetheless
  • 5th Avenue (and the Upper East Side in general):  The most famous shopping street in the world is filled with everything from designers to discounts
  • Century 21:  Popular discount department store in NYC
  • Chinatown:  Unique markets and stands that you can buy anything from food to clothing items
  • Lower East Side and NoLita:  New designers and boutiques are starting to pop up shops around these neighborhoods
  • SoHo:  High end designers mostly fill up all of the stores that are along the cast iron buildings, with the exception of Broadway, which is mostly popular commercial retailers.  There are also a lot of street vendors selling handmade goods around here
  • East Village:  Lots of interesting boutiques that you can find anything from quirky books to designer duds
  • West Village and Meatpacking District:  Another area that is flooded with the hottest designer names
  • Greenwich Village:  Treelined streets that are filled with locally owned boutiques, vintage stores, and other shops, especially around Bleecker
  • Chelsea:  Where you will find the best art galleries in town
  • Union Square and Flatiron District:  Great to find those big-name retailers  
  • Diamond District:  Near Time Square. You'll also notice a ton of electronics stores around here
  • Bookstores:  NYC is famous for having a ton of bookstores and kiosks along the streets. Strand Book Store is a very famous spot